HEART BUTTE — Thursday, August 22, 2024, was supposed to be the first day of the new school year for the Heart Butte School District.
Instead, faculty and staff were sitting outside at tables with supplies for their students, who will be in remote learning mode for the beginning of the school year.
“The reason that we have to go to the hybrid model of remote learning is due to the infrastructure issues that we’re having with not only the water system but also the fire suppression system,” explained Marcy Cobell, Heart Butte School District superintendent.
The hybrid learning model will involve online learning via Chromebooks, as well as some face-to-face instruction, especially for the elementary students.
“It’s really imperative that we have face-to-face contact. A lot of the older students can handle being online and checking in with their teachers and being instructed through an online model, but the little ones, the kindergarten, first and second grade really do need that face-to-face,” said Cobell.
Despite the challenges that come with remote learning models, teachers and administrators are remaining optimistic.
“I think that when this is over, the bond that’s created is going to be awesome, so I don't see anything but positive coming from this,” said Davie Lee Shortman, business manager clerk for Heart Butte Public Schools.
Although students and families will not be going to the school daily, other resources such as the Blackfeet Tribal Health Clinic will remain available.
“Thankfully, we have the outlying districts assisting with some resources and we’re definitely being backed up community wise,” Shortman added.
In addition to the community coming together, faculty and staff also worked together to make the best decision, needing to pivot quickly.
“Everybody came together as one within minutes. I was totally impressed, totally impressed with how quickly everybody adapted to that decision,” Shortman said.
The Heart Butte School District is hopeful that after six weeks they will be able to resume in-person as normal. MTN will update you as we receive more information or any updates.
(AUGUST 21, 2024) The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council announced today that the Heart Butte School District will be in a "Remote Learning Model" for a period of about four to six weeks. Heart Butte School District Superintendent Marcy Cobell said in a news release posted on the BTBC Facebook page that the reason is "unforeseen infrastructure issues."
The main issues are the fire suppression and water systems throughout the school not being up to date, making the school uninhabitable for student and staff safety until they can be replaced.
Cobell explained, “We want to make sure that we're delivering remote learning that is engaging and thoughtful, and actually really meaningful to their learning at this beginning of the year. That's really important, and we want to make sure that we have our ducks in a row, so to speak, so our students are getting the most out of it.”
The news release states:
Please join us with your student on Thursday, August 22nd for a non-traditional school day, between 8:00 am and 1:30 pm, to register your child, receive their online schedule, meet their teacher, receive school supplies, receive a Chromebook, set up appointments with Tribal Health, meet with Blackfeet Tribal Health to set up Mental Health Support, receive information on internet capabilities at your home, receive updated Fall Sports information and get your questions answered from Heart Butte School Administration.
We will also have a Community Feed on Monday, August 26th at 6:00 pm, at the circle in Heart Butte where there will be a Question/Answer session for parents, students and families to get clarity on the Infrastructure challenges. The Heart Butte Board of Trustees, The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, Heart Butte School Administration.
Cobell said: "Your children will receive remote learning, in addition to tutoring and any off-site education needed to accommodate all learning models. We are extremely sorry for this inconvenience, but we assure you we’ve taken every precaution to not only ensure your child’s safety, but also meet the educational needs of every child in our school system. You’ve entrusted your children to us, and we don’t take this responsibility lightly."
She noted that the district is getting assistance from the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, Blackfeet Tribal Health, Tribal Health and Browning Public Schools. We will update you as we get more information.
